New Evidence Linking Edison to Eaton Fire

SoCal Edison’s power lines to transmissions were strained 14 hours before the Eaton fire, according to data and information from Whisker Labs, which among other things monitors the resiliency and safety of the U.S. electrical grid and its technology can detect electrical faults on the grid. According to The New York Times, the utility company’s data suggests that there were faults, or electrical malfunctions, on Edison’s transmission lines around 4 am on January 7, the day of the fire. Just after 6 pm, two high-voltage power lines faulted in the area, just minutes before the fire started, and where fire investigators believe the Eaton Fire began. Those faults matched flashes on the transmission lines recorded by a video camera at a nearby Arco gas station.

New Eaton Wildfire Lawsuits

A recent lawsuit filed by the group LA Fire Justice also claims that SoCal Edison (SCE) started the Eaton Fire. Using surveillance footage and witness testimony, the group has assembled a 3D model of Altadena, which they claim pinpoints the origin of the Eaton Fire. In another lawsuit, an attorney showed a video of a spark at a transmission tower right before the Eaton Fire spread.

Questioned why that transmission tower wasn’t powered off, Edison’s CEO told the Los Angeles Times that the winds that day were not strong enough to trigger a de-energization at that transmission station. But the National Weather Service issued strong wind warnings in the area, and Whisker Labs’ data show that wind speeds at the time were sustained at 60 miles per hour, with gusts as high as 79 m.p.h. — strong enough for engineers to consider cutting power. 

Southern California Edison Responds

Although investigations to date have not determined that SCE’s equipment started the fire, the chief executive of SCE’s parent company, Pedro Pizarro, said at the end of April that it was likely to suffer material losses related to the Eaton fire “in light of pending litigation”. According to the LA Times, Pizzaro said “Edison’s investigation into the start of the fire has not revealed any other possible sources of ignition.”  Further, Pizzaro told investors at the end of April that its equipment may be found liable for starting the Eaton fire, and the company has not found other possible sources of the blaze.

SCE Deep Pockets

Now facing over 130 lawsuits and more being filed, the company likely needs deep pockets. According to the Los Angeles Daily News, SCE may have to take funds from California’s Wildfire Fund, a state pool created six years to keep large utilities out of bankruptcy if they are found liable for wildfire damages. The fund was started after Pacific Gas & Electric filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after facing tens of billions of dollars in damages from fires triggered by the utility in Northern California.

One attorney whose firm is suing SCE told the LA Daily News that, “This (Eaton) fire is going to be the first pressure test for the California Wildfire Fund. “The fund has $12 billion in liquid revenue and has up to $21 billion approved to help pay for damages from any wildfires sparked by its three investor-owned members: PG&E, SCE and San Diego Gas & Electric. The utilities’ shareholders are responsible for half of the $21 billion, with ratepayers charged the balance in their monthly bills until 2035.